#52FilmsByWomen: ALWAYS WORTHY

32/52 ALWAYS WORTHY

The more specific your work is, the more universal it becomes to an audience. Amberlee Colson is a Los Angeles actress who wrote, produced and starred in this film after developing her central character in a one-woman show that played to sold-out audiences at my old stomping grounds, the Meta Theatre, back in 2010.

When Jules Jensen, a quirky aspiring actress about to turn thirty, finds herself still struggling to make her dreams come true, she takes drastic measures to stand out. Only when her life completely unravels, does she figure out who she truly wants to be.

Colson raised much of her micro-budget through Kickstarter and shot in homes and outdoor locations around L.A. So much of her story is familiar to me–both in sad and hilarious ways. The Bar Method classes, the street sign spinners, the bleak casting offices, the dog-walkers, the joggers, the narcissists…it’s all captured with pitch-perfect precision and, therefore, becomes universally entertaining.

Colson enlisted her friend, Marianna Palka, to direct. I first became aware of Palka as the subject of the HBO short documentary The Lion’s Mouth Opens. It was short-listed for an Oscar and has been nominated for an Emmy. I watched it on my phone while eating dinner at an outdoor cafe and was openly sobbing in public by the end. Palka’s first feature, Good Dick, screened at Sundance and is next on my list. I’ve become a fan of this Scottish woman who is a fantastic actress as well. She is on the frontier of indie filmmakers who are creating good content for very little money with a close-knit crew and going the way of self-distribution. She’s so inspiring to me, as is Colson.

Amberlee is a gifted performer, capable of hilarious comedy and heartfelt drama. This film is a terrific vehicle for her talent and I loved seeing that, once again, an actor can create opportunities that hold their own in the industry. With a great script and solid production values, there is no need to spend millions of dollars in order to make a compelling film. Please do support these gutsy women. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime and other streaming services such as iTunes and Google Play.